Dogs and the outdoors go hand-in-hand. Whether you love hiking mountain peaks or just lounging at basecamp, dogs make great outdoor adventuring companions. Beyond a treat pouch and a dog water bottle, the best dog camping gear will make your trip with your furry friend much more enjoyable.
I’ve spent the last four years regularly camping with my dogs. We’ve gone everywhere from Acadia National Park in Maine to Moab, Utah, to Olympic National Forest in Washington. In my opinion, the necessities for camping with your dog are dog food (packed in a food-safe container), collapsible food and water bowls, and a bed or blanket for your dog to sleep on.
I also like to have a light-up dog collar for nighttime potty walks around camp, a dog travel bag to keep all my dogs’ gear organized while on the road, and dog GPS collars for both my pups when we go camping, just in case they get lost.
Below are all the main products I keep in my dog camping gear arsenal.
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The Best Dog Camping Gear
| Whole Dog Journal Rating | Product and Maker | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
  | Ruffwear Highlands Dog Sleeping Bag | Starting at $100 | Compact and machine washable, this durable dog sleeping bag will keep your pup toasty on camp nights. |
| Ruffwear Approach Dog Backpack | $100 | This backpack is a durable, well-balanced way for your dog carry some of their own gear safely and comfortably. |
| Hest Dog Bed | Starting at $149 | Waterproof, packable, easy to clean, and supportive, the Hest Dog Bed will help your dog rest up in camp. |
| Cleverpup Ultimate Dog Travel Bundle | Starting at $135 | Pack all your dog’s food, water, and other essentials in this compact, well-organized travel set. It comes with two silicone bowls, two food-safe zip-up dog food cubes, an insulated food bag, and a roomy backpack with dog-forward design elements. |
| Rumpl; Original Puffy Blanket | $89 | Though it’s not technically a dog blanket, these outdoor-focused blankets are durable enough for dogs, easy to clean, easy to pack, and are hair resistant. |
| Nite Ize NiteHowl Max | $25 | Off-leash dogs, this one’s for you. Light-up collars make sure you can see your pup at night and are helpful for campsite potty breaks when the sun goes down. |
Best Dog Sleeping Bag: Ruffwear Highlands Dog Sleeping Bag
Though you might want your dog to snuggle in your sleeping bag while camping, believe me when I say that it’s more comfortable for everyone if you give your pup a designated place to sleep in the tent.
The Ruffwear Highlands Dog Sleeping Bag was the first piece of camping gear I bought for my rescue dog, Miso, when I adopted her in 2021. After regular use every year since, it’s still going strong. It keeps my dogs warm and the shape is especially good for dogs who like to sleep curled up in a ball.
This sleeping bag comes with a fantastic compression sack that allows you to pack it down very small. It fits easily in a backpacking backpack for backcountry trips and doesn’t take up much room in the car for car camping excursions.
I’ve found that this bag tends to get a little stinky after trips (especially when the weather is wet/humid), but it’s machine washable for easy cleaning.
Best Dog Backpack: Ruffwear Approach Dog Backpack
If your camping adventures with your dog include backpacking, the Ruffwear Approach Dog Backpack is the perfect size for overnight trips in the backcountry. It doubles as a harness with a D-ring on the back to attach a leash to and has multiple pockets for stashing water, food, and other hiking and camping essentials.
The padded handle on this pack is helpful if you need to give your dog a boost over big rocks or other obstacles you may encounter in the outdoors and it’s designed to distribute weight evenly over your dog’s body without bounding while they move.
Make sure to never let your dog carry more than 25% of their body weight and introduce them to the backpack and carrying additional weight slowly.
Best Dog Camp Bed: Hest Dog Bed
The Hest Dog Bed is one of my favorite things to bring camping. I use it in my dog’s car crate and also bring it out for them to sit on at camp and sleep on in the tent. The bottom is waterproof and it easily rolls up and can be compressed down with the included straps.
The cover is waterproof, so even if your dog gets it all muddy at camp, it’s easy to clean up. The foam is covered with an interior waterproof liner too, so messes won’t leak through to the insert.
It’s also wildly comfortable and is made with the same memory foam as the human sleeping pads by the same brand, so your pup will rest and recover at basecamp after long days of hiking and adventuring.
Best Dog Travel Bag: Cleverpup Ultimate Dog Travel Bundle
Before I got the Cleverpup Ultimate Dog Travel Bundle, I was hauling my dog’s gear in a huge Yeti duffel bag and I always felt like I didn’t have enough room. This bag is small, but somehow packs all my dogs’ items so efficiently that there’s always room left over for extra toys, treats, or other gear.
It comes with an insulated inner bag for dog food and treats, two zippered food cubes that hold up to 6 cups of kibble each, two foldable silicone travel bowls, a foldable food scoop, a folding mat that the bowls sit nicely in, and a multi-compartment backpack designed with dog owners in mind.
I love this bag for camping since all the essentials are included in one place. Just pack your pup’s food, some treats, and their essentials and you’re ready to head to the campsite.
Best Dog Camp Blanket: Rumpl Original Puffy Blanket
If your dog doesn’t like the feeling of being inside a zipped up sleeping bag, the Rumpl Original Puffy Blanket is a great alternative. I’ve used these for my dogs for years and the material has a similar feel to the Ruffwear sleeping bag. Though they’re not designed specifically for dogs, they’re durable, easy to pack, and easy to clean, making them a good dog sleeping bag alternative.
The best thing about this blanket is that it’s hair resistant. I find that even my short-coated dog’s needle-like hair doesn’t stick too much on this blanket and what does stick can easily be shaken off. It keeps my dogs warm, comfortable, and packs up into a travel-friendly stuff sack. I like to use it fireside for myself to stay warm before getting in the tent, too.
Best Light-Up Collar for Dogs: Nite Ize NiteHowl Max
A light-up collar helps you keep an eye on your dog at night — especially if you have them off leash at your campsite. The Nite Ize NiteHowl Max collar is rechargeable with a micro USB cord and it can be set to blue, green, red, or multicolor.
Even with my Rough Collie’s thick coat, I find that this collar keeps her visible at night and it’s easier to see than a light attachment on a collar. I also like that the battery lasts for multiple nights of use, so you won’t have to worry about charging it on most multi-night camping trips.
